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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Dog with sudden right hind leg lameness diagnosed with meniscus bone

By Weber, N A·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1998·Bloomington Veterinary Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Apparent primary ossification of the menisci in a dog.

Species:
dog
Dog limpingMovement & jointsDogs

Plain-English summary

A 2-year-old Collie was brought to the vet after suddenly limping on its right back leg. The vet found pain in the dog's knee but no major joint instability. X-rays showed unusual mineral deposits in the knee joint, and surgery revealed a firm mass in the meniscus (a cartilage structure in the knee) that was diagnosed as ossification, meaning it had turned into bone. Fortunately, the dog was treated with anti-inflammatory medications and showed improvement. Follow-up X-rays five weeks later showed similar changes in the other knee, but the dog remained symptom-free.

People also search for: dog limping treatment · Collie knee pain · meniscus ossification in dogs · anti-inflammatory for dogs · dog knee surgery recovery

Abstract

A 2-year-old Collie was examined after it developed acute lameness in the right hind limb. Palpation of the right stifle elicited signs of pain, but a cranial drawer sign could not be elicited during palpation of the joint. Radiography revealed mineralized opacities in the craniolateral and caudal portions of the right stifle joint. Exploratory arthrotomy of the right stifle joint revealed a firm mass in the cranial horn of the lateral meniscus, which was characterized as osseous metaplasia in the cranial and caudal menisceal horns on histologic examination. Other abnormalities were not identified during surgery. Results of histologic examination, radiologic evidence, and observations during exploratory surgery supported a diagnosis of primary lateral meniscal ossification of the right stifle joint. Radiographs were obtained of the contralateral stifle joint when the dog was clinically normal (5 weeks after arthrotomy), and mineralized opacities were found in the lateral meniscus of this limb as well. Clinical signs may not be associated with primary intrameniscal ossification initially; type and location of ossification may affect likelihood and severity of clinical signs and secondary joint damage. Initial treatment for menisceal ossification is conservative (anti-inflammatory medications) unless there is a concurrent pathologic process that requires surgical repair.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9638188/